It already feels like an absolute age since season 3 of Netflix’s The Crown first streamed last year, with its new cast starring Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter – and we are psyched up for the fourth series of our favourite royal drama to hit our screens again.
We’ve had a lot of clues about what’s to come in season 4 after filming began in August 2019, with snaps of some new cast members spotted shooting scenes abroad and closer to home, reportedly wrapping up March this year, just before lockdown striked. We are just pleased the pandemic hasn’t got in the way of this one.
Here’s everything we know so far…
What’s the Crown Season 4 about and who’s in the cast?
You’ll remember season 3 ended in 1977 and this is where Season 4 will pick up. Last time we saw Prince Charles’s (Josh O’ Connor) relationship with Camilla Shand (Emerald Fennell) fizzle out and in the new season Lady Diana Spencer (played by newcomer Emma Corrin) will be introduced. We’re set to see their marriage, separation and divorce played in the drama eventually pan out in the drama.
The Crown’s creator, Peter Morgan, said Corrin had “the innocence and beauty of a young Diana, she also has, in abundance, the range and complexity to portray an extraordinary woman who went from anonymous teenager to becoming the most iconic woman of her generation.”
The actress has been photographed filming numerous scenes with her co-stars around the UK and abroad giving us a glimpse into some of the storylines arriving on the screens in season 4.
Last summer, the production team were spotted filming in Spain’s Almeria, recreating Prince Charles and Princess Diana‘s 1983 tour of Australia where they were famously photographed in front of Ayres Rock.
Corrin was also pictured in Manchester, wearing outfits that resembled those worn by Diana during a visit to an AIDS clinic in NYC in 1993, as well as a gown the late royal wore to a gala dinner in the US city in 1989.
We also have a new Prime Minister coming in the new series. Margaret Thatcher was elected from 1979 to 1990, so we’re likely to see how the Queen forms a relationship with the new government head, played by the one and only Gillian Anderson.
Anderson said of her new role, “Thatcher was undoubtedly formidable but I am relishing exploring beneath the surface and, dare I say, falling in love with the icon who, whether loved or despised, defined an era.”
Some of the big historical events during Thatcher’s leadership included the Falklands War and the miners’ strike which we’re expecting to be touched upon.
Last time, Princess Margaret’s (Helena Bonham Carter) marriage to Lord Snowdon (Ben Daniels) broke down and she began a new love affair. We’re expecting more drama from the Queen’s younger sister in season 4.
What’s the air date for The Crown Season 4?
There’s no confirmed release date for The Crown season 4 to arrive on Netflix but we know historically, it’s usually dropped towards the end of the year. Season 3 landed in November 2019 so we are expecting Season 4 to drop in November or December 2020. Unlike some productions, filming was completed before the Covid-19 lockdown so we’re hoping for no big delays.